Page 20 of Kai's Hunger

“No,” I replied before shooting a frustrated glare at Kai. “And I really would like to help out.”

“Fine.” Kai waved a hand in the air. “You wash, I’ll dry.”

“Works for me,” Cage shouted as he started out of the kitchen.

“Not so fast,” Kai called out. “You can take my day since I’ll be helping Lily tonight.”

His smile vanished. “Oh, come on!”

“Fair’s fair,” Kai stated as he pushed away from the table.

Everyone stood and brought their dishes to the sink, then filed out of the room. Cage complained, which earned him a slap on the back of his head from Wyatt. Now I was left with Kai. Alone. I cleared my suddenly very dry throat. “I really can get this. You don’t have to hang around. I mean, I’m sure you have better things to do.”

His lips lifted and he reached a hand toward me, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “Trying to get rid of me?”

He was teasing me, but I still felt compelled to answer. “It’s just that I’ve dominated your time since you brought me here.”

“I enjoy being around you,” he said, his voice low and rough. “Unless you’d prefer to be alone.”

“No, I wouldn’t prefer that,” I admitted. God, he was so close. He played with a lock of my hair. For some reason that innocent touch seemed intensely intimate. I inhaled his scent. Woodsy and masculine and addicting. I’d never met anyone like Kai. There was a wildness just below the surface. As if he had to work very hard to appear civilized. And why was that alluring?

He snatched the plate from my hand, then winked. “Let’s get this done. I want to show you something.”

“Yeah?”

We gathered dishes from the table, then brought them to the sink. Kai looked over at me and grinned. “There’s a place close by. It’s pretty at night when the moon is high.”

He wanted to go on a hike through the woods at night? “Is that a good idea? I mean, there could be coyotes prowling. Actually, the furry beast I nearly hit is probably out there right now.”

Kai stared at me, his eyes brightening to that liquid gold color I’d noticed before. “You’re safe with me, Lily. The beast can’t hurt you.”

Why did I trust him? The effect Kai had on me was unnerving. “You seem very sure of that.”

He started to run water in the sink before saying, “I’ve lived here most of my life. Trust me, there’s nothing out there on four legs that would dare come near you.”

I nudged him with my shoulder and teased, “If anything decides to turn me into a nighttime snack, I’m blaming you.”

“A snack? No.” His gaze raked down my body and he licked his lips. “But dessert? Definitely.”

And there went my pulse, hammering out a rhythm that would make a drummer in a rock band proud. Flirting with a guy like Kai could very well get a woman burned.

****

Kai

Images of Lily naked beneath me as I mounted her bombarded my mind. I was too close to dragging her off to my bedroom. I could have us both undressed in seconds. The hunger to watch her submit to me grew.She’s human,I warned the raging beast inside me. She’d need time to accept me. Accept our ways. MyYucilonform would no doubt terrify her if I didn’t get her there slowly. She’d run and I’d be forced to track her down and bring her back. I didn’t want that. She was my mate and her happiness was all that mattered, but beneath that was the driving need to claim her. To seal our bond. Talking about creatures of the night had nearly made me laugh. If she only knew that the most dangerous creatures on our one-hundred-acre property had been sitting around the dinner table with her listening as she chatted about her life goals.

After we finished up the dishes, I took her hand and led her from the kitchen. When we reached the front door, I looked her over. “You might need a jacket. It’s supposed to be a chilly evening.”

She pointed toward the ceiling. “I have a hoodie in my suitcase. Let me grab it.”

When she turned to go, I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Wait.” She frowned at me. I snagged my leather coat off a hook on the wall and held it out. “Wear this,” I offered, eager to see her in it, knowing her scent would linger on the silk lining for days.

She shrugged and plucked it from my grasp. “If you’re sure.”

“I am,” I murmured, watching her slip into it. It fell to just above her knees and she had to roll the sleeves several times to free her hands. God, she was cute. “Perfect,” I praised, grinning down at her.

She laughed. “Liar. I look silly, but you’re right. It’s warm.”

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